My Retriever
by Child-Of-God13
Summary: Seventeen year old Bella, alone, walks dogs for a living. Edward, nineteen, lost in his big family, learning to be a doctor. What happens when these two characters meet? Is it love? ALL HUMAN.
1. Chapter 1

Okay! Here is the next story,(that I hope is just as amazing as my first, maybe even more). Updates ay be slow at first, consider this your warning! I am working on finishing Once Upon A Hunt, but I am waiting for some feed back on ideas and a word from my friend first. FYI don't ask me again, this is an ALL human story which includes Edward.

Thank you to my amazing beta BookMe for helping me with this story!

**Chapter 1: My Life Story**

BPOV

I strolled through the dark streets, holding onto the giant black lab and the little toy poodle I was walking. Most girls would freak out walking alone in the dark, but hey, I had two dogs with me.

Because of all the walking I am super skinny, but what I look like doesn't even really matter all that much anymore, no guy would ever take interest in me. That was the problem with this job, the hours weren't consistent. It depended on how many dogs they had, and what level of agility the dog measured. Sometimes they had about twenty-five dogs; other times they'd have less than six. Some of the dogs are overweight, and can barely make it out of the parking lot, others, however, can go for miles and still not be tired.

I might as well tell you how I got into dog walking, well, at the age of sixteen, my mother had already died and my father walked out on me, talk about growing up fast.

I never graduated high school. When my father walked out I had to immediately get a job and even know with the job it was a struggle to pay the bills. I usually went without lights, unless it was absolutely necessary. I had no TV, and I barely ate anything. I haven't had new clothes in forever and I take really short showers to limit the bills even more.

I was now seventeen and I got a job that only a parentless sixteen year old could get in the small town of Forks. The only plausible job prospect here was at the dog boarding/training program. Everyday, rain or shine, I would walk each and every dog even though it didn't pay that much, about eight fifty an hour, but thankfully it paid the mortgage on the small house my father had left in my care.

People always say to enter the lottery, but I don't want to throw away my money like that. I barely have any as it is.

I've never had a boyfriend, further proof of my obvious plainness. Sometimes I read romance stories, and imagine myself as the main female character. I wish someone would come sweep me off my feet, but it's probably never going to happen due to the fact that the only times that I'm out and around people is when I'm walking the dogs, and most people seem to be a little intimidated when I walk by with my pack of dogs circling me.

Today I had come into work to find I had to walk nineteen dogs, eighteen of them scoring a ten in agility. That's a lot of walking.

So it is now ten at night and I am finishing up my last dogs.

Some nights when I end up being late, like tonight, I see a man sitting in the park, his head in his hands. I see him a lot, but I never say anything and neither does he. This man is possibly the most handsome man in the world; well he is certainly the most handsome man I've ever seen.

But that little fact is trivial in my life's story, or so I thought.

Little did I know that it could change in a single conversation…

EPOV

It was ten o'clock and here I was, sitting in the dark park, with my head in my hands.

My family is so huge, it's not fair. My family, we're billionaires, but money has no value when you never get any attention.

I have three siblings, Alice, Emmett, and Kiara. All adopted, I am actually the only biological child in my family. But wait there's more.

Alice has a fiancée, Jasper, and they are planning on getting married in four months. Emmett is married to Rosalie, and have a two year old daughter and have another one on the way. And then there's Kiara, who married to Joshua and have twin four-year-old boys. Then there are my parents, Carlisle and Esme, and me. Even more amazingly, we all live in a six bedroom house, but it's a tight squeeze.

No one wants to move out, I mean why get a paying job when you can just live with a couple of billionaires and bum off their generosity? Well unlike everyone else, I couldn't leave; Esme won't let me because I am her only biological son.

Sometimes I wish I could run away, but I guess I should get my siblings more credit, even though they all live with me, I still love them all the same.

College isn't all it's cracked up to be, I am a nineteen-year-old sophomore and I am majoring in medicine. I've always wanted to be a doctor, so now I was going to achieve my dreams.

I come to the park every night, just to escape for a little while, and some nights I see a girl with a dog or two walk by. I've never talked to her, because I would probably get really nervous and say something stupid. She is the most gorgeous girl on the planet.

She has the figure of a model, an extremely flat stomach, with a moderate bust line, Long legs that really stand out if she wears shorts. Her mahogany hair falls below her shoulder blades, and her eyes, a brown, seemingly so deep; I just wanted to find out what she was thinking about.

But alas I told myself I was never going to marry, girls fall all over me, I know that no girl could ever see me for me, all she would see is my looks. Sure, I've dated some girls, but they were high school relationships, and now if I were to ask a girl on a date it would be for a serious relationship.

Well there is my boring life in a nutshell.

Little did I know everything can change in just one hour…

AN: PLEASE REVIEW!! LET ME KNOW IF I SHOULD CONTINUE!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: One hour, One Conversation

Disclaimer: I own nothing

**EPOV:**

Wow, it was getting late.

It was Friday, so my parents wouldn't care, much anyway. They would be busy watching a movie, and if they wanted me, I had an expensive cell phone they could call. At my house Friday night was movie and pizza night. Did I mention we had to order seven pizzas? It was crazy.

I looked down at my feet as I began to make my way over to the small pond in the park. The pond shimmered in the moonlight; it was gorgeous, even though it was only the size of a bedroom.

I was just standing there, looking on, imagining the great doings in this world when it happened.

I heard a shout from somewhere in the semi-darkness behind me. "No Lupe, no!" It sounded like an angels voice, straight from heaven, but it scared me, no angel should sound so panicked or worried.

My wistful thinking was interrupted when a small longhaired toy poodle bounded past me into the water. "She can't swim!" The angels voice yelled again, and without thinking I ran into the pond, after the dog. The pond was only knee deep, but the dog would have easily drowned.

The toy poodle, Lupe, was starting to drown, but I caught her. I picked her up and cradled her safely in my arms as she writhed in a panicked manner.

I turned around to speak to the owner, but almost fell over is shock from seeing who it was. It was the most gorgeous girl in the universe, the one I had been seeing for days. That's also when I noticed she was shackled to two other dogs, a black and white shih Tzu and a red mural Australian Shepherd.

I slowly made my way to the woman, the black toy poodle still held carefully in my arms. As soon as I was in arm reach I handed the dog over, my arms shaking from nervousness.

"Thank you, I can never repay you." The girl smiled, and then laughed as the dog struggled in her arms. "I can't understand it, Lupe here loves the water, but she can't swim." Her laugh sounded like a melody played by angels on their harps.

Looking down from her unearthly beauty, that's when I noticed her predicament, the two dogs were on leashes but the toy poodle had chewed hers through. The girl seemed to notice this too. "Would you mind helping me back to the daycare center, it's only a few blocks away." She looked desperate as she asked me.

I decided to help; after all, my mother had always told me to be a gentleman. "Of course." She then preceded to hand me the toy poodle, which she had been struggling to keep hold of as the other two dogs pulled at her.

"Don't worry, Lupe here weighs just about seven and a half pounds." She patted Lupe's head affectionately. "I'm Bella by the way." She stated as we made our way to the park entrance, walking side by side.

"I'm Edward." I told her, I was currently racking my brain for ways to keep her talking. "So Bella, how old are you?" I asked, guessing she was about my age.

"I turned seventeen in September." She answered, not gracing me with the privilege of looking in her eyes. "And you?"

"Nineteen." So we were close, I tried to remember if I'd ever seen her at Forks high.

But she beat me to it. "So do you go to Forks high?"

"No, I graduated last year, and I am now at the community college, majoring in medicine." I turned my head the slightest bit, trying to get a glimpse of her face. "What about you?"

"I'm…umm…home schooled." She was hesitating. "So what's your family like?" Her urgency told me that she was changing the subject on purpose, I knew it.

"Well I live with my mother and father, and then there are my adopted sisters Alice and Kiara, and my adopted brother Emmett. Two are married and have kids, and one is engaged, you?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from my family.

"Are you married?" She was avoiding my question for some reason, odd.

"No, and why would I be? I've barley gone past the second date with any girl." I shrugged, if I were married why would I be hanging around in the park on a Friday night? You tell me, that's right, there's no answer. "What about you?" I respected her privacy and didn't ask about her living arrangements anymore.

"Um, never dated, and probably never will." She sighed. "Well here we are." She took the dog from my arms, Lupe, I think. "Thanks again, I couldn't have done it without you." She smiled her beautiful breathtaking smile.

"Anytime, I didn't mind." Smart answer, you sound like some kind of playboy. I mentally slapped myself.

"Well see you around." She gave me one last half-smile then slipped inside.

I took a deep breath. Now to head home.

I began the walk back, and for some unexplainable reason I felt lonely. I know, it sounds weak. But I, Edward Cullen had never felt lonely before, I mean, who could with my large family? I took in a deep breath.

The walk home seemed way longer than the normal five blocks it really was. I walked in the door of my house, only to find the whole family, and I do mean the WHOLE family watching 'The Lake House' on TV. I slipped past, almost unnoticed.

I said almost because some sneaky pixie of a sister saw me at the last minute.

"Hey Edward, where have you been? You're usually back by now?" Alice called out, quickly putting everyone's attention on me.

"I was just thinking, I guess it took a little longer than normal." I turned once again towards the stairs.

"Then why are the bottoms of your pants wet?" Kiara motioned to my soaked calves.

Crap! I had forgotten about that! "I…um…went wadding in the pond." I knew I was probably looking pretty guilty at this point, but luckily I got off easy.

"Oh, okay." Alice said, and everyone turned back to the movie. Alice did the whole 'I'm watching you thing' and I gulped.

I then dashed to the safety of my room. I was the only person in the house that didn't have to share a room with any one, not that the married, or engaged couples minded.

I sighed. For some reason I wanted to see the mysterious girl that called herself Bella. I wanted to get to know her, to hang around her…

Ha ha, I was totally going mental.

But somewhere deep down I knew I was totally sane…


	3. Ch3 YAH!

Disclaimer: I own ziltch

Chapter 3

EPOV

Here I was, once again, in the park after dark.

It was Saturday, the day after I had officially met the beautiful angel and had a conversation with her. I was lucky to have been able to sneak away from Alice, all day she had been keeping a close watch on me, but luckily, I was able to bribe her fiancée, Jasper, to keep her occupied.

That was the nice thing about Jasper, he did what you asked without any explanations or strings, and he did it completely too.

The time ticked by agonizingly slowly as I sat and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I was just about to head home, defeated, when I heard a dog bark. The bark was quick, but sharp. A few minutes later, out of the darkness came the angel that had been in my dreams last night. She was only walking a single black lab.

For some reason this worried me. The beautiful young woman was out at midnight on a Saturday night with only one dog for protection.

Without speaking she came over and sat down silently on the bench next to me, ordering the dog to lie silently with her soft demeanor.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" I asked, trying to spark a conversation.

"Yes, also because this is my last dog for the night." She sighed, grinning as she motioned to the dog lying dutifully at her ankles. "Would you like to finish his walk with me? It would really help it go a lot faster."

"Of course." I answered, feeling overwhelmed by excitement. We got up off the bench and made our way to the park entrance heading the opposite direction of the dog boarding place. "You work on Saturdays?" I asked, wondering when she had any nights off. We headed away from the dog-boarding place, Bella had an odometer on her hip, so she would know when we could turn around and head back.

"I work everyday, why, don't you?" She raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"No, I actually don't work at all." I hadn't realized how childish that sounded until I said it out loud, what nineteen year old didn't have a job.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed-"

I cut her off. "It's fine, I'm just a little busy with medical school."

"Oh, wow, medical school, sounds interesting." Bella said this with a look of distress in her eyes, I quickly changed the subject.

"So what's his name?" I motioned, once again, to the dog walking about a foot in front of us, pulling eagerly at the leash.

"Shane. And don't worry we don't have to go much farther, he only scored a four in agility." She assured me.

"Agility?" I had no clue what agility scoring had to do with walking distance.

"Yes, the place I work at measures the dogs agility on the scale of one to ten, the higher the agility the more exercising is required. Higher agility, longer walk." She summed it up.

"That makes sense. So how was your day?" I asked her, trying to be polite and show her that I was interested in her, even though she seemed to scramble my mind.

"Fine, I had to work all day though." She looked down at her feet, sounding slightly ashamed.

"Hey, it's fine, I get it, you work a lot." I said this in a semi-jokingly manner, but she didn't seem to think it funny

"You should be thankful for the life you have, compared to some people, you are very lucky." She took in a deep breath. "Don't ever forget it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." I really hadn't, I was just trying to lighten the mood.

"It's fine, I know you didn't. And sometimes I guess I get a little over protective of my work." She smiled. And I couldn't help but notice how it lit her whole face up when she smiled.

"You have a gorgeous smile." I said without thinking.

A blush covered her pale cheeks. "Thanks, and the amazing thing is, I've never needed orthodontic work."

"Really? I had to have braces for four years to make my smile look like this." I motioned to my teeth.

"You're not really smiling." She said.

"Yes I am." I was now even more confused, what did she mean I wasn't smiling?

"That's not your real smile."

"And what do you propose my real smile is?" This was pretty funny; I had to admit, who ever thought I would be arguing with a girl about my smile?

She smiled, I didn't get it. 'Now that's your real smile." She pointed a finger at my mouth, which for the first time I realized was shaped into a wide grin.

We turned around and began to head back, taking about some random things that popped into our heads. Favorite foods and such.

In the hour we had I had learned a lot about the girl that calls herself Bella. I know that she doesn't really do any schooling (because she admitted to working ALL the time). I also knew that money was obviously very tight for her family, because while my favorite food was lobster and calamari, hers was nachos and sweet corn.

But the thing I knew most about Bella was that she was an only child, which was the only thing I knew about her background so far. It was weird how protective she was of her past; as if there was something she didn't want me to know.

I had also found out that she didn't have a phone or own a TV, further enhancing my idea that her family didn't have much money.

The best part of the evening was the part where she assured me that she would be out tomorrow night. She said that because it is the weekend, there are always more dogs to walk. Overall I felt a little bad for her, my schooling was consistent, but her job relied on the amount of dogs checked in, which would be hard. You never knew if your job would still be there the next day or not. Bella even explained to me that if for some reason the company's income dropped, she would be out of work.

I knew, at the end of the night, that I had to see this Bella again. I had felt like we had really connected when we first met, she was automatically like the best friend I'd never had.

When I got to my house I used my brother, Emmett's, age-old trick of sneaking in the upper story window of the hallway. I did this because I was avoiding my family; Emmett had done this because he had missed his curfew.

I closed the door silently behind me, and then turned around to come face to face with…

Alice.

Oh no, I was in huge trouble.

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	4. Ch 4 POLL NOW

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Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 4

EPOV:

"Good evening Edward." Alice smirked in her evil pixie way. "Would you like to explain why you are climbing in the window? Last time I checked the door still opened."

"Um, well…uh…" I had nothing.

"What's her name?" she shot at me like an interrogator, inspecting her nails in an act of indifference.

"Bel-Wait! How did you know?" I had almost given her name away.

"The Edward Cullen, perfect little mommy's boy would never ever come back so late and climb in a window if he hadn't met a girl." She rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine, but promise to not tell Emmett?" I did not want to be teased or pranked, or anything else for that matter.

"Cross my heart and hope to die." She held up her hand like we used to when we were younger.

"Well her name is Bella…" I started but was cut off when Alice started vibrating from excitement.

"Oh! You need to invite her over for dinner! You need to introduce her to Esme and Carlisle! Kiara will love her! Oh! You should ask her to come over for Christmas! And then we could-"

"WHOA! Whoa, back up there Alice, you're acting as if we're going to get married, I only saw her for the second time tonight…" I sighed remembering our conversation.

"Yah, sure, just promise me when you do get married that I get to plan it!" She squealed, alerting Emmett of my presence, and as a result he came bounding out of his room. I gulped.

"What's this I hear about a wedding Eddie?" He boomed in his loud, intimidating voice.

"Nothing, where did you get that idea?" I nearly stuttered but kept my composure. I even forgot to correct him on using my most hated nickname.

"You didn't even correct me Eddie, something is definitely up." He smiled in triumph, knowing he had me there.

"Well I met this girl…"

BPOV:

Fridge, empty. Cupboards, empty. Pantry, some powered lemonade. I groaned in dissatisfaction. I had two more days until I got my paycheck and all I had left was two cans of sweet corn and powdered lemonade.

There was a knock at the door. I sighed and made my way through my cluttered house. No one important came to my door, only sales people. On my way there I looked at my watch, I had to be at work in an hour, I had dogs to walk.

Some part of me hoped Edward would be there to help me walk today, but I also felt somewhat bad for taking up his time, and having him help me with MY job. I opened the door, surprised to see who it was.

"Angela?" I hadn't seen her since I dropped out of school.

"Hey Bella. I'm doing a project on the behavior of dogs, and I was wondering if I could get some help." She looked down and shuffled her feet, embarrassed to be asking for help.

"Sure, c'mon in, I was just about to leave for work." I sighed as she careful sat down on my cluttered couch. "So how's life treating you?" I made my way into my kitchen to get my purse.

"A lot better than it's been treating you apparently." She took a deep breath. "Bella, I know that Charlie abandoned you."

I spun around in shock, nearly dropping the inhaler I was putting in my purse. "What? How?" I couldn't believe it! How could she know? She hadn't seen me in years!

"For one, your dad hasn't been seen at work for ages, and you have to have some kind of income coming in, and I know for a fact that your dad's car is missing from the driveway." She looked me up and down then pointed to my waist. "You've lost some weight, meaning money must be hard and you've been exercising a lot more." I was about to open my mouth to make an excuse when she cut me off. "Bella, you would never quit school and get a full time job for no reason, I know you better than that."

I sighed, collapsing onto the couch. "You're right, but I'm doing fine, so let's please not talk about it." I headed to the door. "Wanna come or not?" I asked, getting my key out to lock the door behind me.

"Thanks again Bella, I'm sorry I got you so agitated." She apologized.

"It's fine, I'm just passionate I guess." As soon as this sentence was out of my mouth I began to think of Edward, the way I had said almost the exact same thing to him a couple of hours before.

Angela drove me, considering I didn't own a car, not that I could afford gas at all.

When we finally got there and by the time Angela talked to my boss, I had my work all cut out for me. Thirty-six dogs, all of them in the upper ranges in agility, except for Shane, my favorite, beloved, black lab. No he wasn't mine, he was owned by an older couple that had problems walking him, so I walked him almost everyday.

Angela got ready to leave as soon as I grabbed my first leash. She gave me a hug and said that she would repay me for helping her somehow. I told her it was fine, trying to decline her offer, but it didn't work.

As I left the building with the first three dogs in my hands I could help but hope that Edward would be there.

I walked by the park and looked inside, nothing. Of course not, I told myself, it was nine o' clock on a Sunday morning, no college student in their right mind would be up at this hour. I sighed and walked on.

By midday I was on dog twelve, which may not sound bad, but at this rate I wouldn't be home until two am. The one problem with me walking the dogs was the fact that I could only control up to three at a time, and at that rate I was never going to get it done…

"BELLA!" I heard someone shout as I passed the park. I turned to find Edward running towards me; he slowed down as he got closer. "You look tired." He told me softly as he moved a stray hair that had fallen out of my ponytail from my face.

"That's because I am. I'm dreading it, I have twenty-two more dogs to go after these three and I'm going to be here really late." I told him as I thought of the miles and miles that I would have to walk today.

"Hey, I have an idea, how about I help you? Since you can only handle three dogs by yourself, I can take two and we can get it done twice as fast!" He smiled down at me looking enthusiastic.

I smiled, every time I saw Edward and I realized from his latest act of generosity that I just ended up liking him more and more.

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	5. Chapter 5

AN: DO MY POLL NOW

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Disclaimer: I own nothing.

BPOV:

After walking dogs for five hours your legs really start to ache.

Edward was quite the trooper; he walked at the same pace as me, while holding two dogs.

After all of our agonizing work, we were finally on the last two dogs. I was walking Shane, the one with only a four in agility, while Edward was walking Auzzie, an Australian Shepherd, who scored a ten plus in agility, but had behavior problems, so we were instructed not to walk him as far.

During the walking I got to know Edward very well. I knew that his family was huge, well off, and had obviously already found out about me, this, of course, only sparked my curiosity further.

"Why is your family so surprised?" I was truly mystified on why his family would care that he had walked dogs with a girl.

"Well, I've never exactly had a girlfriend, in fact I've never felt comfortable with girls. " I noticed the way he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as he said this, "But you're different." He sighed, looking down at Auzzie who was yanking on the leash vigorously, as if he was desperate to get away.

Edward yanked gently on the leash, and Auzzie stopped, it was astounding. "You're a natural with him." I smiled, motioning to Auzzie, who looked up at me innocently with his blue eyes.

Edward laughed at the dog's expression then turned to me seriously. "It's almost five, what would you say to getting some dinner with me?" He flashed me his crooked grin as he said this, making me smile as well.

I sighed, knowing that I couldn't. "I would, but I don't get my paycheck for another day." I left out the fact that I wouldn't be able to pay whether I had my paycheck or not.

At this his smile just widened. "Who said you were paying? I invited you to dinner, my treat."

I looked up at him, not realizing at this point that we had stopped completely in the middle of the sidewalk. "You don't need to do that." I frowned; I hated it when money was spent on me.

I looked down at the ground, knowing I would be going home to my can of corn. I almost jumped when he used his finger to gently coax my face to look up to his. "Money doesn't matter at all to me Bella."

Just hearing him whisper this made my knees go weak, and all I could do was nod. "Okay then, it's settled. Let's get these dogs back, and then I want to take you to one of my favorite restaurants." He smiled in victory. I nodded weakly, still unable to speak.

Once we got back to the shelter and I signed out, Edward began to lead me back to the park. I just looked up at him in obvious confusion.

He laughed at my expression. "You didn't think I would make you walk did you?" He continued to laugh, and then sobered up and told me, "My car is parked just over here." He motioned to the park parking lot.

He grabbed my hand and led me over to a shiny Volvo.

I could practically feel my eyes widen in shock. "This is your car?" I gasped, I was basically panting at this point.

"Yes, what kind of car do you have?" He asked, probably wanting to compare his car to something.

"Don't have one, can't afford it." I answered simply, brushing it off as if it was no big deal, and for me, it wasn't.

But for him it obviously was. His head snapped up in shock as he held my door open for me. He didn't say anything until after we were both sitting in the car. "So I take it you don't have much of a paycheck." He said this conversationally, but I knew better. Under than façade he was worried.

I decided there was nothing better to do than tell the truth. "Well, I don't get much at all; in fact, tonight I was planning on going home and having canned corn for dinner." I finished the last part in a whisper and then sighed, hinting that it was the only thing I had.

Being so in tune with me Edward of course picked up on it, and then glanced at my waist to see how skinny I was. Let's just say I was barely skin and bones, in fact I was a little less. That being said, it was a good thing I was wearing a sweatshirt over my tight, extra small shirt, but I knew Edward would find a way to steal a glance at my waist before the evening was over.

"You really need to eat better Bella. Don't your parents work?" He asked.

I had to decide on how much I wanted to tell him, really only Angela knew, and in the end, I decided to keep it that way. "Well my dad has a medical issue and my parents are divorced." I decided after a minute of making the story up.

Edward still seemed a little unsure but decided to accept this as an answer. "So you live alone with your dad?"

He was trying to get more out of me, I knew it. "Well, he is currently in the nursing home in Seattle, but I take the bus to visit him once a month."

Edward simply nodded then thought for a minute. "So you live alone then." He concluded, a blank look covering any emotion on his face.

"Yes." I whispered, looking down at my lap, feeling ashamed.

I heard his in-take of breath, and raised my eyes to meet his. We seemed to come to a silent understanding. I didn't want to talk about it, so he wouldn't.

When we finally reached the restaurant we were both starved and were back to our happy conversations. The rest of dinner passed by with us acting totally carefree.

When the bill came Edward wouldn't let me see it, in fact he slipped a bill underneath and pulled me gently out to his car. "So where's your house?" He asked as soon as we were sat.

Not wanting him to see my house I decided to just do what I normally did. "Just drop me off at my work; I can get home from there."

A frown crossed Edward's face but he didn't contradict me. "Alright."

Walking home later I couldn't help but smile. I had a friend.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: SORRY for the slow updates. I am so busy right now it's hard.**

**Chapter 6**

**Bella POV.**

Monday. The worst day of the entire week.

After dragging myself out of bed I groggily made my way to work. I chose to forgo breakfast, knowing I would be receiving my much-loved paycheck this afternoon.

I made my way to work dejectedly, knowing there was a zero to none chance of seeing Edward. He would be in school all day. I sighed as I reached the building, opening the door and walking in.

"G'day Bella. Ready for work?" The owner, Roy Marks from Australia greeted me. This fact in itself is weird, he was never here.

"I'm fine." I chose to avoid his question; I would never be ready for work.

"That's good to hear, so where's this fiancée I hear about?" He raised his eyebrows.

I dropped the leash I had been holding in shock. "What do you mean?" I stuttered. "I'm not even dating anyone at the moment." I stated, somewhat unsure of what he was thinking.

"Oh, well I just assumed that some one with your beauty and kindness would be engaged by now." He shrugged, and started counting receipts.

"Um, Roy, may I remind you that I'm seventeen?" I used a quieter voice, not wanting to draw any of the other employee's attention to me.

"Oh, right I just heard that Mike has this huge crush on you." He looked up wanting to gage my reaction.

"You mean that high schooler that helps grade the dogs on agility?" I had heard about this guy.

"Yep, that's the one." He smiled; I had always felt comfortable around Roy. Okay, so Roy was a fifty eight year old bachelor immigrant to America, and he was not the best looking, but he was still very nice.

I grabbed three black leashes, counting my dogs for the day. But before I finished Roy spoke again.

"Twenty-five, including Shane." He didn't look up from what he was working on.

I went down the row of pens, trying to decide who to do first, when I came upon an empty pen. "Um, Roy? Where's Auzzie?"

Roy looked up, his face remaining impassive. "His owners never brought him in this morning." And before I could ask he added, "He should be back tomorrow, though the owners didn't call."

I nodded hooking the first three dogs to the leashes, waving to Roy as I left the building.

**XXXXXX**

After working for a full day I was about ready to collapse from fatigue, considering that I hadn't eaten breakfast that morning.

I was walking past the park, on my last dog, when I heard Edward's voice.

"Good evening." He said, falling into step right next to me.

"Hello." Was my brilliant response.

"So how was your day?" He asked like a true gentleman.

"Same as always, and yours?" I tried to redirect the conversation; successfully distracting myself form the thought of food.

"I went to school, you have to ask?" We both started chuckling at this. "Hey, I was wondering, when you're done, if you would like to have a picnic with me?" He sounded unsure of himself.

As if anyone could ever turn him down. "Sure, then I need to head over to the bank to cash in my check, that is if you don't mind." I added quickly.

"It's fine, I'll even give you a ride." He smiled.

"I can walk." I hedged.

"No, I am giving you a ride." He gazed at me sternly until I gave in.

"Alright." I sighed. "Now let's start walking." I smiled up at him. I was in way over my head.

**XXXXX**

"That's not quite as bad. One time, as a joke, my big brother woke me up at seven, saying I was going to be late for school when it was a Saturday!" Edward said and I started laughing.

"Well one time I got confused and went into the boy's restroom at the mall. The funny thing was, I was ten!" I remembered being so embarrassed at the time, but now I was able to laugh about it.

"So, next question, favorite subject?" He asked, his eyes boring into mine, making it difficult to collect my thoughts.

"Language arts, or literature. And you?" I tried to slow the beating of my heart as he continued to look at me. I couldn't deny the attraction I felt for him. I kept telling myself that he was only a friend, but my stupid heart wouldn't listen. I knew I was blushing by now.

"Biology, of course." He smiled, then to my horror (and pleasure) he leaned over and moved a single finger down my check. "You have a beautiful blush."

Then, as if two magnets were placed between us, I started to lean in closer, my eyes focused completely on his. I noticed he was doing the same.

We stopped when our faces were less that six inches apart, and just stared into each other's eyes. I had lost all thoughts and I had no clue what we were talking about, where we were, and what time it was. The only thing I could focus on was Edward.

The ringing of his cell phone broke our trance. Edward pulled away and grabbed his phone, and was it only me or did I imagine the small groan of dissatisfaction?

"Yes Alice." Edward groaned, running his hand through his hair. He was silent for a moment, glancing up at me, and then rolling his eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you about it later. Kay, Bye." He snapped his phone shut. "My sister." Was the only exclamation he offered.

"No problem, is it okay if we head to the bank now? I don't want to stay out too late." It wasn't until after I said this that I realized how childish it sounded.

"It's fine, I have school tomorrow too." He began to gather the picnic stuff; putting it in the basket he had brought it in. I stood up and began helping him fold the cloth.

"Thanks again." I smiled at him, I was so lucky Lupe had gotten loose a couple of nights ago.

"Your welcome." He said, leading me over to his car. "After all, what are friends for?"

He said friends.

But I already knew that it would be impossible for me.

I wanted to be more.

**AN: PLEASE REVIEW!! Sorry for the shortness.**

**So, at this point, I will not be updating again for like two days. My speech is written (much to your joy, I'm sure) now on to memorizing! Which is not going to be easy considering it's one page typed, singe spaced, 12 point font... Thanks for the tips everyone!**

**By the way. I would like at least 30 more people to vote in my poll, that way I can make a good choice. So PLEASE vote if you haven't already...**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: nothing is mine

Chapter 7

BPOV:

It had been four days since the picnic with Edward. Four perfect days.

Edward and I had settled into a sort-of routine. Everyday after he was done with school he would meet up with me and help me with any dogs I had to finish up. Then he would either bring me dinner, or take me out. I complained every time, but he insisted that money was no problem for his family, so I am glad to say, I had been eating better.

Luckily I no longer had to worry about Azzie, he had returned. I couldn't help myself, the dogs were like my family, and it worried me when they were gone.

I walked into work on cloud nine Saturday morning. Edward had promised me that he'd meet up with me at nine. I smiled at just the prospect of seeing him once again.

During the past couple days my intense feelings for him had been increasing. I was sure that by now, what I felt was just short of love.

My happy mood was however smashed into the ground when I walked to Shane's Kennel to find a 'For adoption' sign on his door. I practically broke down right then and there at the prospect of someone adopting him and never being able to walk him again. I knew that I sounded sappy, but Shane had become like my best friend.

I felt a hand on my shoulder as I stared at the devastating sign. I looked up through my tear filled eyes to find Roy standing there. "His owners were just too old; they couldn't even do simple things like feed him anymore. They were moving to a retirement home that doesn't allow pets. We offered to find him a home." I could see that Roy was not too happy about this either, but all the same he walked over to the door when the bell alerted him that someone had entered.

I didn't bother looking to the door to see who had entered. At that moment, I didn't really care, all my thoughts were on Shane and his impending future, until I felt two muscular arms wrap around my waist. "Shh, Bella it's going to be fine." The reassuring voice soothed me as his intoxicating breath flittered softly over my ear.

"I know." I sighed, wiping my tears away. I felt so at ease in his arms, resting back against him. "I've just bonded with him. When I was all alone, I would tell him my problems, even though he can't talk, I knew he was listening. It's just gonna be hard to watch someone else adopt him." I admitted, brushing my eyes once more, knowing they were all puffy and red at this point.

Reluctantly, I stepped from his embrace and grabbed three leashes of the wall, knowing that I really needed to get going. Thankfully, Edward grabbed two leashes. I directed him to which dogs we would be taking first then headed to get the dogs I was going to walk. When I stood up and glanced around the room, I noticed Edward was gone. I went outside to find him waiting just outside the door, Auzzie and Lupe in his control. I couldn't help but smile when I saw him standing there, waiting for me.

"What do you do during the winter?" He asked as he noticed me slipping my sweatshirt on.

"Same thing, rain or shine, snow or wind." I told him as I looked up at the sun that had long risen above the horizon. I was allowed to come into work an hour later on Saturday, as I had done today, because I didn't have a day off. And after spending half an hour getting ready and breaking down over having to say goodbye to Shane, it was a little past nine.

As we were walking past the park I spotted a bunch of balloons floating in the air and I could also hear music. "There's some sort of carnival today." Edward informed me, glancing towards the entrance where a man stood collecting tickets.

"I guess we'll have to take an alternate route then." I started calculating a new path in my head. Finally concluding that going up near the area I lived would add about the same amount of time and distance as walking through the park would.

"Alright, so what are your favorite movies? Name three." He smiled, following my direction. Everyday it was the same; we would ask each other random questions as we walked to fill any of the silences.

"The Swan Princess, Blades Of Glory, and She's The Man." I looked up at him (considering the top of my head only came to his bottom lip) waiting for him to answer.

"Freedom Writers, The Cowboys, and I guess I have to say Shane."

"Shane? Isn't that some five hour movie?" I asked.

"Yes, but it's really good. The plotline, the characters, the writer of the book did a superb job, as well as the director." He ran his hands through his hair; he had no idea how hot that made him look. "Now, birthday?"

"July 11th." (AN: I know that's not Bella's real birthday but who cares? This is my story!) I glanced down at Lupe who was trying hard to keep up with the bigger dogs, letting a little chuckle out before looking back at Edward. "And you?"

"June 7th. So, what's your favorite board game and why?" he shot the question at me.

"Well that was random, but I'd have to say Life, it's so much fun, but it's not too cheesy either." I laughed a little, thinking about the games my mother would always buy, but we would never end up playing them.

"Well I guess mine would have to be Risk, because it's not only fun but it takes strategy and is very manly." He smiled down at me. "Should we move onto the harder questions?"

"Sure bring them on!" I semi-shouted, but not loud enough for someone else to overhear.

"First boyfriend?" he asked, a note of curiosity in his voice.

Uh, oh, I knew this was coming. "Never had one. First girlfriend?" I asked quickly, trying to change the subject slightly.

"Never had one. Are you a virgin?" He blushed slightly at the fact that he was even asking this question.

"Yes." I blushed deeply, not believing I had just admitted that to him, not that it was bad or anything, it was just a little embarrassing to talk to a guy about that type of stuff.

"Don't worry." He said in a warm voice. He stopped beside me and touched my chin to lift my eyes to meet his. "I am too; it's nothing to be embarrassed about." He said, a reassuring, breathtaking smile on his face.

After that, the rest of the day ran smoothly.

It was after I had dinner and said goodnight to Edward that I realized something.

I was in love with him.

AN: there you go folks! PLEASE REVIEW!!


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I am so sorry you guys! I had Spanish finals on Friday, but because I'm awesome I typed up a chapter anyways. Then I sent it to my beta (BookMe) who is amazing and sent it back to me Sunday. But then the site started having technical problems and I couldn't access the chapter until Monday night. And when I did access it I tried to post it, but then the site started having problems again! I am so sorry you guys! It's the sites fault, honestly! You would have had this chapter on Sunday if it weren't for the site!

Anyway, read on!

Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 8

EPOV:

I walked in the front door of my home like a man on a mission.

"MOM?" I called out, hearing a child squeal somewhere from the upper level.

"Yes Edward?" Esme said, coming in from the kitchen while drying her hands on a yellow dishtowel.

"Is it alright if I get a pet?" I asked as I put on my best pleading look. A look I hadn't used since I turned fourteen.

My mother shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, as long as you take care of it. You're a legal adult now." She said with a smile before she started another conversation. "So…You've been in a good mood lately, what's going on?" She raised her eyebrows in question, her curiosity blatantly clear.

"Nothing mom." I tried saying this with a straight face, but I could feel the smile threatening to twitch through my lips.

She grinned the widest I had ever seen before she simply asked, "What's her name?"

I sighed in disbelief. What was with this family and my personal life? "Her name is Bella." I admitted defeated, between her and Alice I didn't know which was worse. I knew mothers were supposed to be intuitive and always seemed to know everything about their children, so I wasn't so shocked with Esme finding out about Bella so easily, but Alice! She was a different kettle of fish. She always seemed to know what was going on.

"You have to invite her over tomorrow!" My mother squealed her demand making it clear that Alice was her daughter from the way they both reacted when they got excited.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll ask her tomorrow, but first, there's something I need to do. Mom, can I borrow the pick up truck?" I asked. Our family had almost one of every kind of car. Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. I knew Shane loved the outdoors and I remembered Bella saying something about him being frightened of enclosed spaces.

My mom simply smiled and pulled the keys from the rack behind her. "Have fun." She stated, seemingly pleased enough knowing that tomorrow, I would ask Bella to come over.

I grinned. "I will."

Driving back to the dog place was weird this late at night. I had always gone home after dropping Bella off a few blocks from her house. She never let me drive her home, and it worried me.

I was always worried for Bella it seemed. I wished she could just stay with me all the time, but of course, that wasn't possible, it was unrealistic.

When I got there Roy was standing out front with Shane sitting right next to him.

"Thanks for making Bella happy Edward. I'm sure she'll be surprised." He handed me a plastic bag. When I raised my eyebrows in question, he quickly began to explain. "His leash, collar, food enough for a week, and a few chew bones."

I thanked him politely then opened the tailgate for Shane to jump in. That's when I remembered what I had told Bella. Shane, my favorite movie, how ironic.

I walked over to the driver's side, looking at my watch. It was nearly midnight, so I decided I could stop by the pet store tomorrow before I met up with Bella for lunch.

I drove home carefully, glancing out the rear view mirror every few minutes, only to find Shane calmly lying down. This thought made me smile. I could see why Bella loved him so much.

When I got home all of the lights were out except the living room light. I was sure Esme was waiting for me. Walking in confirmed my suspicions. My mother held out her hand for the keys. I tossed them to her, whistling to Shane. I had picked up his paperwork earlier, and I knew he responded to a whistle.

My mother's eyes grew wide when she saw Shane. "He's so handsome Edward, but he's big too."

"Don't worry, he's the sweetest dog I've ever met, and very well behaved. His name is Shane." I walked over to my mother and called Shane over to me.

My mother rubbed his back hesitantly at first, but warmed up to him after a few seconds. "I'm going to go let him out and then he can sleep in my room." I told her before I headed to the backyard, grabbing a flashlight on the way. Roy had said Shane was housetrained and was very good with kids, so I saw Shane's arrival to this family as being no problem at all.

When I came back in my mother had already gone upstairs so I turned off the living room light and headed up to my room, Shane on my heels.

I pulled off my shirts and jeans, planning to sleep in my boxers, and got under the covers. I set my biggest throw pillow on the floor, and Shane immediately circled it, lying down.

I smiled and drifted into dreamland. Thinking of Bella Swan.

XXXX

The next morning I was awakened by the screaming of my two little nephews.

Kyle and Jordan, Kiara's sons, had apparently come in my room and spotted Shane. They were now screaming about the 'bear in Edwards's room'.

"Shh, it's fine guys. He's a dog, he's very nice and his name is Shane." I said, looking over at Shane who sat up on his pillow, eyes on me as if asking permission to move.

"You got a dog Uncle Edward?" Both of them yelled so loud suddenly my whole family was in my room. They all crowded around Shane and I, petting him and asking me questions.

But everything was interrupted when Esme announced that my 'girlfriend' was coming over tonight. I told her she wasn't my girlfriend, but she wouldn't take any of it.

About an hour later after Emmett convinced me to let him take Shane out, I finally began to get ready. I was glad my whole family seemed taken with Shane. I knew Bella didn't have the money or the time to care for Shane, which is why I had adopted him. I hoped that Bella would come over to see him often.

I smiled at just the thought of Bella. She was so gorgeous it was unbelievable. My mind was always on her even when I tried to think about something else. I glanced at the clock when I got out of the shower. It was eight; I had an hour until I was to meet Bella, so I grabbed my textbooks and headed down the stairs.

I worked on my heart functions analysis before I heard Emmett and Shane come crashing through the door. Shane, being as overweight and low agility as he was, was pretty much running in an awkward fashion behind a burly Emmett who was chasing Kyle and Jordan.

Shane stopped as soon as he saw me holding a bone I had gotten yesterday. I quickly gave it to him and left the family (none of which had to work) with instructions to care for Shane, then ran out to my beloved Volvo.

I climbed in, jamming the keys into the ignition. I couldn't wait for Bella to come over tonight. I hadn't seen her for ten hours, but I felt as if it had been forever.

I took a deep breath and drove.

Bella here I come.

AN: PLEASE REVIEW!!

And sorry my updates are so slow, but Math and Language Arts finals are this week, as well a huge project that I MUST turn in! School comes first, and I'm really sorry but the site issues are not my fault!

I don't know when I'll be able to post this, but it is currently Monday night and the site is still down…so I'll get this up as soon as I can…


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 9:

EPOV:

I pulled up at the park, jumping out of the car just as Bella was passing through.

Her face lit up as soon as she saw me, and to my surprise, there were no leashes in her hands. I ran up to her giving her a slight hug. "What, no dogs today?" I asked, pulling away.

"I was kind of upset about Shane being gone and Roy only had five dogs today anyway because of the agility competition downtown, so, he said he would walk the five by himself and I could leave." A dazzling smile covered her face, highlighting her beauty even more.

"Well in that case, would you like to come back to my house with me? I was going to invite you over to dinner, but since apparently we don't have dogs to walk, why don't we just go now?" I thought of Shane and I knew it would make Bella insanely happy. "Plus I have a surprise for you." I gloated, putting my arm over Bella's shoulder. Bella jumped slightly as my arm came in contact with her shoulder and I noticed that she tensed slightly. I was worried she didn't like it, but she began to relax in a few seconds. I hoped my move wasn't too forward.

"Alright, but are you sure that your family will like me?" She looked up at me, her bottom lip taking up residence between her teeth. I could tell she was nervous.

"Of course, they're all curious to see the girl who has caught my attention. Plus, I've never had many friends, so they'll love you anyways!" I looked down her, and to my surprise I saw her face fall slightly when I said the second sentence, but she didn't say anything so I decided to ignore it and ask her about it later if I either of us broached the subject.

I pulled her over to my car, opening the door for her like I have countless times this week, it was truly becoming an automatic thing now.

We didn't talk the whole way there, but it wasn't an awkward silence. I knew Bella was just nervous about meeting my parents. The only thing that would be worse would be if we were dating.

Honestly I wouldn't mind dating Bella; I just wasn't sure how she would react. I mean, sure we've hung out and gone out to dinner as friends, but it could never have been considered a date. I really liked Bella, as more than a friend, but I didn't want to ruin our friendship by voicing my feelings for her.

When we pulled into my driveway Bella's hand started shaking in her lap. I decided showing her Shane first would probably help. I quickly pulled out my phone as we skidded to a stop, telling Bella to wait a moment. Meanwhile I sent Alice a text telling her to put Shane out back. I knew he wouldn't run away.

As soon as Alice sent me the confirming text message, I went around and helped Bella out of the car. "Ready for your surprise?" I asked, brushing a stray hair out of Bella's face, not even realizing I was doing it until she blushed.

"No, as you know, I'm not much for surprises." She said this as a slight groan.

"C'mon, I promise you'll love this one." I grabbed her hand, leading her around to the back.

"Doubt it." She mumbled, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as we rounded the corner of the house. The big black dog came bounding towards us and all but jumped on Bella in his excitement. I watched Bella as she patted him on the head and rubbed his back. I could tell that Shane loved the attention from Bella.

I was momentarily distracted by a movement in the corner of my eye. I turned away from Bella and Shane for a moment to see Alice at the window smirking at me before she turned and disappeared. A sudden impact jolted my attention back to Bella. I wrapped my arms around the torso who had 'done a Shane' and had practically pushed me over. I looked down at Bella as she hugged me tightly, resting her cheek on my chest.

I stroked her hair and held her close while she asked, "What's he doing here? Did you adopt him?"

Her passionate gaze sent my mind spinning for a moment. I registered the excitement, shock and happiness in them and then answered her while giving her a crooked smile. "Yeah…I know how much you love him and now you can come over anytime to see him…" I told her, hoping that she would like the idea.

"Really?" she asked before she broke our eye contact and looked down at Shane who was running around us in the vain attempt of getting our attention.

I tightened my hold on Bella slightly and told her that she could come over when ever she wanted to see Shane. Thankfully, my tighter hold on her had the desired effect as she turned back to look at me and gave me a heart melting smile. Unfortunately, as they say, all good things must come to an end. This applied when Bella released her hold on me and went to fuss over Shane once more.

We spent the next five minutes petting Shane and just talking about my old cat that I had once owned. Finally I decided it was time to introduce her to the family. I started leading her towards the door. Bella, out of nervousness, started straightening her white cami tank and smoothing her light blue jean capris. I lifted her chin up to meet my face. "Don't fret, you look fine." After the word came out of my mouth I nearly slapped myself. Couldn't I think of a better word than fine?

I opened the door, only to find my entire family standing in the living room. Bella grabbed onto my arm, walking slightly behind me, I knew from our frequent conversations that she did not enjoy large crowds of people.

"Bella, these are my parents, Esme and Carlisle." They stepped forward shaking Bella's hand with the polite 'nice to meet you' and 'glad to have you here.' I moved further to the left. "This is my older adopted brother Emmett, his wife Rosalie, and this is their daughter Olivia." I motioned to the blond two year on Rosalie's hip. "This is my older adopted sister Kiara, her husband Joshua, and their two four year old twins Kyle and Joshua." Bella nodded her recognition to each of them, waiting to meet the last two people in the room. "And this is my other older adopted sister Alice, and her fiancée Jasper." I swept my hand around the room. "Everyone this-" I motioned to Bella, "Is the lovely Bella."

We spent the next few hours with my family in the back yard. Bella had agreed to stay for dinner and was currently playing with Kyle, Joshua and Shane. I was surprised that Bella was just as good with children as she was with dogs, it was like she had her own special touch.

My thoughts were pierced as my mother elbowed me in the side, I turned to glare at her as she hissed at me, "Ask her if she wants anything to drink."

I got up and walked over to Bella, coming to sit right next to her on the grass. "Would you like anything to drink Bella?" I asked, trying once more to be the gentleman my mom taught me to be.

"Do you have a Cherry Pepsi?" She asked timidly, if I learned anything in the past week, it was the fact that Bella did not like asking people for anything.

We spent the rest of the evening talking and joking. And, to my joy, Bella seemed to fit right in with my family. I resolved to ask her on an official date when I took her home.

I had been so deep in my thoughts I hadn't noticed that Bella was asking me if we could leave. I apologized for zoning out and then we got to the car and headed towards her home.

And, as usual, she wouldn't let me take her all the way home, no matter how much I pleaded. As she prepared to get out of the car I took a deep breath and prepared to make my move.

AN: You'll have to wait to see her answer!

Thanks to my wonderful beta BookMe, you rock!

Anyway GO VOTE IN MY POLL!!

And, as always…review!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 10

EPOV:

I got out of the car, talking deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down. I hoped she didn't see my nervousness as I walked around to where Bella was waiting on the other side of the car. When I got to her, I hesitantly, took her hands in mine, feeling relieved when she didn't pull away.

I plucked up some courage and asked her the question I felt ready to ask her. "Bella, would you go out on a date with me?" I asked, looking down into her gorgeous brown eyes, which had gotten wider by the time I had finished talking.

She seemed to think for a minute, while my mind was raced a million miles and hour. Had I just ruined our friendship? I sincerely hoped not. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but the closed it again.

Finally, after a million years (really just five seconds) she nodded her head. "Sure, when?" She looked up at me eagerly. For a second I thought that she wanted this just as much as me, but I couldn't be sure.

I hadn't thought this far in advance. I racked my brain real quickly trying to think over my schedule. "Um, how about tomorrow night at eight, when you get off at work?" I added, knowing the time she was released from work varied on the amount of dogs they had so eight was a safe enough time.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then; shall we meet at the park entrance?" She asked as I felt a raindrop splat on my head.

"Yep, now will you please let me drive you home?" I pleaded as the rain began to fall faster and harder. "I don't want you to get sick." I added, giving her hands a light squeeze.

"No, I can walk." She replied.

"I wasn't doubting that you can walk, I just don't want you to walk in this rain." Especially this late at night, by herself, and I didn't want my potential girlfriend to get hurt or something.

"I'll be fine Edward." She tried to assure me as she gently pulled her hands from mine and then turned and started walking. "See you tomorrow Edward!" She called over her shoulder as she got a few feet from me.

I got back in my car and waited for a few minutes before starting the car. And when I did, I turned and drove the way Bella had been headed.

I followed her silently until she pulled up at a small two-story home. I watched her unlock the door and walk in. The house didn't look too bad, and I didn't see why she would want to keep me away. I sighed and turned around to head home. Bella was still a mystery to me, no matter how much time I spent with her.

Arriving home to a quiet house I headed up to my room. As I was on my way up, I glanced back down at the grand piano in the living room. I hadn't played for years. I honestly didn't know what happened. One day I just didn't want to play the piano anymore. At that moment, it was like one of those dreams you wake up from, realizing what you've been missing. I couldn't ever really describe what happened to make me turn back to the piano, and I probably never will. All I knew was that I played for the first time in years that night.

I played the song I wrote for Rosalie and Emmett's wedding. I played the song I wrote for Esme. I played the song I wrote for Kiara's wedding. And when I got tired of playing those, I started just playing the music that matched my heart. The results were some sort of lonely heartfelt but happy melody. I was in my own little world that night, doing what I loved, I was oblivious to my family standing in the room, as well as the time (I was told it was 2am when I finally stopped).

Playing the music got me thinking. Why had I stopped in the first place? For years I had played piano, sitting through so many lessons with instructors Esme had selected. Writing songs, not two years ago for a wedding. What had changed? I knew the answer, I had. Graduating high school I had watched every single one of my siblings find their other half, the person the belonged with, while I had watched from the outside. I had picked up extra courses in medical school, telling myself I wanted to be a good student, when in reality I was avoiding the awkwardness of being home, surrounded by four couples. And while avoiding home, I had avoided the piano, and all the memories that came with it.

Changing keys, I began a new song, one I promised myself I would play at Alice and Jaspers wedding in three weeks. The song, at first, sounded too sad for me. Weddings are happy, and no matter how much I may have been jealous before, I know knew that they were the best days in my siblings lives. So I picked up the pace, playing a joyous song, to match my mood.

I had a date with Bella, the most beautiful girl in the universe, the girl who had stolen my heart. Without realizing it I somehow switched back to the melody I had been playing before, the music that matched my heart.

The song was special and I knew immediately that it was for Bella. My heart was Bella's, therefore, the song was for Bella. The song welded itself into my mind, and I knew for a fact that it would never, not even in the end of time, remove itself. Just like Bella, it would forever be in my heart.

That was the night I came to the realization that I loved Bella, loved her with my whole heart. We hadn't been on an official date, but I knew for sure I was in love with her.

They say with great power comes great responsibility, but I don't think that's quite right. I think a better saying would be, with great knowledge comes great truth as well as responsibility. Now that Bella was such a huge part of my life, I couldn't let her get hurt, and I also needed to find a way for her to return to school, knowing that she had to drop out.

I also needed to help her in anyway possible, because, after all, she'd already helped me.

Helped me more than she'd ever know.

AN: Sorry for the boringness of this chapter, but I had to show you Edward's thoughts and a peek into the changes that Bella brought over him… and sorry for the wait, my beta was incredibly busy and I was sick on Sunday.

Okay for those of you reading my other stories, go to my profile page and scroll down to 'Links:'

Then find the one that says 'Clothes' this is where I will post all clothes for my stories. So far I have I Am An Illegal Employee and My Window, so go check it out!

AND VOTE IN MY POLL also, don't forget to Review!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Chapter 11

BPOV:

It was nearly seven o clock and I had to leave in half an hour to meet Edward, and here I was, standing in a bathrobe looking at my practically desolate closet.

Luckily, I had been able to get off work slightly earlier than usual today by doubling up on the dogs I usually walked which made it harder, but that was a small price to pay for the pleasure of being able to go on a date with Edward.

I had already come to the realization that I loved him, and I only hoped that he felt the same way.

Turning back to the task at hand, I knew exactly what I had to do. I turned, towards the closed door at the end of the hall. Step by step, closer and closer. Sucking in a breath, I turned the knob.

The musty air of a room not opened for years floated towards my sensitive nose. Two years really affected the ventilation. I tried not to look at anything as I walked over to the closet that held my mothers dresses. Unlike some mom's she had been very skinny, even after she had me, I think it was due to trying to impress my father.

Trying not to focus too much on the pain gripping at my heart I grabbed a light blue floor length, strapless dress. Then before I could look at anything else I ran out of the room.

Twenty minutes later I was dressed and applied some light makeup to my face-something I did not do on a daily basis. Then, I started walking towards the park. It took a little longer than usual, with my dress and all. Instead of pumps like most girls, my feet were covered with a pair of light blue flats.

When I finally arrived at the park, Edward was waiting for me, his eyes lighting up when I came into his line of vision.

"You look beautiful." He whispered as he embraced me into a tight hug.

I smiled, glancing down at the dress clothes he was wearing. I felt relieved over the fact that I had made the right choice with the dress I wore. "You clean up pretty well yourself." I backed out of the hug somewhat sorrowfully, I felt empty without having Edwards arms around me.

He then led me over to the car, opening my door for me like a true gentleman. "So how was your day?" He said as he started the car.

"Fine, I doubled up on the dogs so I could get done in time." I wanted to be truthfully honest with him, and earlier, while I had been walking to the park, I had decided that I would tell him the truth about Charlie tonight. "Um Edward, there's something I need to tell you." I began nervously.

"Go ahead." He said, still facing forward, but I could tell he was frowning by the reflection of the light on his face.

"Remember how I told you how my father was just away for medical purposes?"

He nodded. "I remember everything you told me."

"Well, that's a lie. My father abandoned me when I was sixteen. Right after my mother died." I took a deep breath. "But I was glad to see him go, because after Renee's death he had started drinking, and he would…hit me."

I watched Edward's hands tighten on the steering wheel as I said the last few words.

It was true to some extent, it was a more of, pushing around type of hitting, and not true abuse from what I'd heard. "And I had to drop out of school…to pay the bills." I had been so wrapped up in my story I hadn't even noticed we were at the restaurant.

As Edward opened my door for me, he quickly wrapped me in his embrace. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I was afraid." I let out another breath. "Afraid you would be disgusted with me."

Edward tilted my chin up towards his face. "It doesn't matter to me what happened years ago. I would still love you Bella."

I froze at his words, did he say love? Edward seemed to realize it too because he started to pull away. But before he could I placed my hands on Edwards's arms. "Don't worry, I love you too, and I have for the longest time." I told him honestly.

Then, before I knew it, we were kissing. But it wasn't one of those lustful kisses you see between actors on TV, it was more than that. We were showing each other our feelings, how much we cared about each other. There was also an undeniable spark that spread from my head to my toes as our lips continued to move in rhythm. I wasn't sure how long it lasted, but I do know when we finally broke apart we were both gasping and raking in air.

"Wow." I couldn't say anything else.

"Wow indeed." Edward murmured.

I couldn't hold back my smile as we walked into the restaurant.

"A reservations for Cullen…" Edward said, speaking to the hostess, but keeping his eyes on me the whole time.

The waitress glared at me, obviously noticing how all of Edward's attention was on me. She made me feel very self-conscious, I mean, she was gorgeous with a body like a model, and here I was, brown haired and quite plain.

Edward continued to do nothing else but stare at me when we were seated. "Your waiter will be right out." The hostess said, Edward simply waved her away. He leaned forward to kiss me as soon as she was out of sight, and just as our lips were about to meet-

"Hello, my name is Mike and I will be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?" He handed each of us a menu, while clearly asking only for my drink order.

"Um, I'll take a coke please." I didn't look up, but instead looked at Edward, letting him have my complete attention as I continued to ignore Mike.

The rest of the night passed pleasurably, with Edward glaring at Mike whenever he tried to make a pass at me. Edward paid the bill then we headed towards the car. I finally decided to let Edward see where I live and directed him towards my house.

When he turned to pull into the driveway I gasped. He couldn't pull in the driveway.

Because there was a small white car in the way.

AN: thanks a bunch BookMe for helping me, now here's my rant. If you've already heard it plug your ears and pretend to not hear me.

So I got a review. Now I can take constructive criticism, and in fact I like it. I can take if somebody tells me one of my stories is crappy. But this person said something that really hurt. He/she said that all of my stories were horrid and didn't deserve to be on this site because they were all exactly the same and that I should just delete them all and give up writing until I could actually learn to write. And this really hurt me. I actually cried after I read it. After that, of course, I looked at all my stories, and I noticed they all do sound a lot alike. And I actually found myself getting ready to click the delete button for this story and many of my others. But I didn't. So then I threw the chapters I had originally planned to post next in the trash, trying to come up with something new. So this depressed me and just didn't feel like writing at first. And even now it'll probably take me longer to update because I want to make sure my stories don't sound the same.

Either way, thanks for listening to my rant and for supporting me, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting and please review.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine

Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine

Chapter 12

BPOV:

Edward seemed to notice the shock on my face, and knew it was connected to the car. "Do you want me to come in with you?" He asked, the concern clear in his voice.

"No, it's not my dad's car, he drives a red truck. In fact, it's probably just Angela." I reasoned, even though I knew Angela drove a blue car. "Thanks for tonight, I really enjoyed it."

"Then would you like to go out again on Friday?" I quickly calculated, it was two days away.

"I would love to!" I smiled.

I turned to walk into the house, but was stopped when Edward spoke again. "Wait, Bella!" I spun around just in time for him to pull me into a passionate kiss. When we finally broke apart I was breathing so hard I couldn't speak, the same couldn't be said for Edward. "Can I call you later?" he asked eagerly,

I shook my head, watching his face fall. "No, it's not like that, it just that…I don't have a phone." It must have looked like my feet were the most interesting things in the world from the way I was staring at them.

"Bella, look at me." I looked back up, my eyes meeting his, even though he was a head taller than me. "I don't care how much money you have or how hard you work. I love you because you're you."

I smiled at his words. "Will I see you tomorrow evening?" I asked, and I knew that he understood that I was talking about my dog walking.

"Of course." He flashed his crooked smile. He then placed a quick kiss on my lips. "I love you and I'll see you later." He smiled and headed towards his car.

"I love you too." I called as he started the car and drove away.

I turned back to the house; I had been so preoccupied with Edward that the thought of the car had fled from my mind. _Be brave_, I told myself, as I turned the knob, the door was unlocked. "Hello?" I called out nervously when I got inside.

"Ahh, if it isn't the little free loader." I froze at the sound of Charlie's scathing voice. "Wait, what the HELL are you DOING IN MY HOUSE??" He was obviously drunk and very, very, very angry.

"Wait, you don't-"

I was cut off as my mothers pink flowered vase was thrown at me. It came in contact with the wall above my head and shattered into an army of sharp pieces. One large, lethal fragment managed to slice into my shoulder deep enough to remain lodged in there. I could immediately feel the pain.

Keeling over, I began to pick up the pieces, so Charlie wouldn't get even angrier, but I was met instead with more pieces of my mom's china again being thrown at me. Charlie was so drunk that he thankfully only succeeded in breaking them, leaving my unscathed this time except for the previous shoulder wound.

"I SAID GET THE HELL OFF MY PROPERTY!!" He yelled with a threatening a glass bowl in his hand. I didn't want to take anymore chances so I began to head towards the door.

Apparently I didn't move fast enough, because I gasped in pain as shards of glass pierced my back. I gasped in surprise at Charlie's action, the shock but most of all the pain that spread over my back like liquid fire.

After that, I ran out as fast as I could considering my condition. As soon as I was out on the porch, with the door shut and locked, I sank down, tearing off my shoes and trying to figure out what to do. I could feel the blood running down my back and knew that I was loosing a lot of blood which could be lethal to my mortality unless I got the glass out and bandaged the wound. But I had no phone, no form of transportation.

I glanced at the white car, I knew how to drive, and I had a license in the clutch that I luckily still in my hand, but I sadly didn't know how to hotwire a car.

Weighing my options, I could either try and hotwire the car, taking the chance that I wouldn't end up doing anything, or I could start walking and hope that someone would see me.

I decided to start walking. It hurt, stabbing pangs of pain would shoot through my back and shoulder with every step but I walked and walked and walked, until finally a car pulled up next to me.

EPOV:

I drove away from Bella's home; I had decided that on Friday I would ask her to cut back on her hours and let my family help with the bills and hopefully return to school. I knew that my plan would most likely work, with maybe a little more convincing on my part, but I knew I could do it.

The night had been perfect, and I was glad that Bella had finally decided to trust me more; in fact now I was pretty sure I knew almost everything about her.

I smiled, she loved me. I had never thought I would find someone who loved me, for who I was. She didn't solely love me because I had the money, or the looks, or the brains. I knew now that Bella was the one I had been looking for, the perfect girlfriend.

As I turned off of Bella's street, I began to plan out the next date in my head. I wanted to take Bella to a movie but because I had never really dated before I had no clue what type of movie to take her to. I knew Emmett would suggest a horror film so that Bella would cling to me the whole time, but I was pretty sure Bella wouldn't like it much. I thought about a sappy romance but I knew that it would seem lame, especially for only the second date. So that left a comedy, which sounded good to me!

I couldn't believe Bella didn't have a phone, but now that I thought about it, it made perfect sense. I mean, this seventeen year old girl is working her butt off to not only a pay a full mortgage but all of the other bills as well, there was no way she could afford a phone bill as well.

Suddenly I felt like I should turn around. I was maybe half way home, so I just shook the feeling off, but a few seconds later the feeling came back. So I pulled over, did an illegal U-turn and headed back.

And the feeling that I needed to keep going that way wouldn't leave.

So I kept driving.

AN: Hey everyone, you're probably saying "Wow she finally updated?! When will she type up all those chapters she promised?" Well bad news, I'm still sick, I know, I'm heading to the doctors in half an hour. I think I may have bronchitis. Anyways I will be writing like mad in the next few days to try and get at least ten chapters up before the fifteenth.

Anyway, look for a new story that will be coming soon! It's written by imma vampire and I. In my opinion it is going to be AMAZING and it should because it's taken the two of us weeks to get the first five chapters done! She should have the summary up on her profile sometime, so go check it out!

AND Please review…I promise if every person who reads this story reviews I will aim to get up three chapters before the fifteenth…


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

Chapter 13

BPOV:

My eyesight was blurring and I was beginning to feel light headed, but before I passed out my eyes were drawn to a familiar pair of eyes. Edward was here. Then all I saw was black…

I was drifting. Where, I did not know. It was a dream. No it wasn't. Was it? I felt like I was floating. I wasn't dead, was I? Suddenly my dream was interrupted. "She should be returning to consciousness any moment." A voice. I'd heard that voice somewhere before, but where?

Then SNAP everything hurt. There was pain in my back, pain in my shoulders, and pain everywhere. My dream was obviously over, I moaned in pain.

"Bella? Bella, can you hear me Bella?" Edward. I would know his voice anywhere.

"Please…no…yelling…" I tried talking but my throat hurt so bad I could barely get anything out and my head felt like someone was pounding on the inside with a thousand hammers.

"Sorry." Edward sighed. "I'm just so glad you're alright."

It was then that I realized I was yet to open my eyes. As soon as that thought hit me I attempted to, but I felt as if all the strength was gone from my body. "How bad?" I struggled to get the few simple syllables out.

"You'll be fine and out of here in no time." Edward reassured me and I could feel his soft hand gently brushing against my cheek.

But that wasn't what I wanted to know, I retorted in my head but all I could force out was a weak "Answer…please." My voice even sounded raspy and hard to hear in my own ears.

"You had some major blood loss and a minor concussion from your fall but like Edward said you should be fine to leave in a few days." The other voice cut in.

Voice. Whose voice? My thoughts were so jumbled and I was thinking in fragments. "Bella do you remember who did this to you?" Edwards voice was filled with anxiety.

Charlie. Charlie did it, I wanted to say this but I couldn't bring myself to. I would just get worse beatings later on if I did. "…No…" I mumbled my head still hurt. I could tell Edward did not believe me by the way he sighed.

"Bella are you okay?"

I hadn't realized I was breathing so hard until he said something. Beep. Beep. Beep. The heart machine was going wild. Slow Bella, its fine, he doesn't know, he has no clue.

"Bella calm down, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Edward immediately started soothing my rapid breathing by placing his hand on mine. I tried to move my hand, but my muscles wouldn't obey.

"Why…can't…move?" Someone had just shoved a knife down my throat, I was sure of it, it hurt so badly.

"You're under a lot of pain killers." The other voice told me.

Carlisle's voice. Yes, Carlisle was here. He was a doctor.

"Bella can you tell me what day it is?"

Think. Think. Think. I repeated my mantra over and over in my head but no date appeared. No wait, there it is. "June 28th?"

"Alright Bella can you tell me your full name?"

Oh, they were testing me. I wanted to tell them I was fine. I wanted to see Edwards face, but my body refused to listen. I felt num. "Isabella." I murmured only opening my mouth a tiny bit, my lips felt too heavy for my face.

"Okay Bella we won't do anymore today would you like me to give you something that will put you back to sleep?"

My throat hurt, I didn't want to talk. But I couldn't nod either. "Yes…" I whispered so silently and hoarsely I'm surprised anyone heard me.

Then it was black once more.

The next time I woke up I was lying in a room with white walls and a pink wallpaper border. Where was I? My brain seemed to ache with my struggling to think. Then the last time I was awake came back to me and I smiled, at least I could open my eyes this time!

I quickly surveyed the room until my eyes came to rest on a handsome Edward sleeping soundly on a chair in the corner. His clothes were rumpled, and it would appear as if he hadn't gone home by the suitcase in the corner.

My throat still hurt like hell and I wanted to ask for a drink, but when I tried opening my mouth no sound came out. It was silent.

Being so attuned to me it seemed as if Edward had heard my silent plea for suddenly he was awake, on his feet, then sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Bella, how are you feeling?"

I reached my hand up to point to my throat, to indicate I couldn't talk, but I found that, like before, my body was still made of concrete. So I opened my mouth and breathed out.

Edward immediately got the picture and grabbed a glass of water from the bedside, gently lifting it to my lips, one of his large hands supporting my neck as he helped me take a sip of the water. It wasn't cold but it quieted the roaring fire in my throat. "Better?" He asked pulling the glass back on the bedside table. I smiled and he took this as a yes, gently laying my head back down on the pillow.

"Thank you." I looked up, my eyes meeting Edwards, and I'm sure I had a look of pure admiration on my face.

"Anything for you." He leaned down slowly and laid a gentle peck on the corner of my mouth, this made me smile even more.

Our sweet moment was interrupted when the door slammed open. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

Uh oh. Charlie was here.

AN: I know I was gone forever. And I sincerely apologize. But I am back. I cannot guarantee regular updates but I'm going to aim for once a week, maybe more if I get some encouraging reviews ;). I've been in a rut lately, hence the small amount of updates. But thank you for all of your support.

PLEASE REVIEW


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Chapter 14

BPOV:

Looking up, I came face to face with my worst nightmare. "Um, Charlie, this is, uh-Edward." I managed to squeeze this out of my burning lungs. It was hard to breathe, and with each inhale my ribs exploded in pain.

"Get your hands off my daughter!" Reeling in anger he gave Edward the death glare to end all death glares.

Luckily, Carlisle chose that moment to enter the room to check on my progress. After one glance at Edwards worried face, he stopped short. "Why, hello, sir. Bella can only take visits from family members at the moment."

"I'm her damned father!" Charlie took a step towards Edward, who refused to let me go. "And just who is this young man?! Last I checked he isn't related to Bella in any shape or form!"

Never one to miss a beat, Carlisle stepped in front of Charlie. "He is my assistant and is in training." He lied.

It worked however, because Charlie was much too drunk to notice the absence of scrubs, or proper attire on Edward. "Well I'm not paying for this hospital stay. It's not my fault the sissy got hurt." Charlie growled. "Get the idiot who attacked her to pay!" Turning to me his growl became more pronounced. "As for you, you better clean my house up and get some food in the cupboard. Pronto." He was leaning so close I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and by the way Edward pulled me closer to his chest I was sure he could too.

As Charlie stormed out of the room, Carlisle simply stepped aside and let him pass. As soon as the door was shut he turned to me and began taking my vital signs. "Don't worry Bella," He reassured me. "We will pay for your stay-"

I cut him off, "No, no I couldn't let you guys do that. I have a little money stowed away and I'm sure I could get a loan-"

"You will do no such thing." Edward stated. "You're skinny enough as is. And money is no problem for my family so don't worry." Turning to Carlisle he looked deep in thought. "Carlisle, we can't let her go back there."

"I have to go back." I wasn't about to sit back and let them decide my life. "All of my things are there. And besides, I'm only seventeen. By law I have to return."

"We can file a report Bella." Edward stated, turning towards me. "I will not stand by and watch you be hurt again, or worse, killed."

Sighing, I turned towards Carlisle. "May I use a phone?" I was planning on calling Angela; after all, she owed me a few. I also know that she would let me continue to work, because I knew that living with the Cullen's, they would prevent me from working.

"No need to. You will come to live with us." Edward pulled me closer to his chest. Giving me an awkward hug—all the while being careful as not to aggravate my injuries.

"You have to let her make her own decisions Edward." Carlisle brought me a phone and I quickly punched in Angela's cell number. She picked up on the second ring.

"Hi Angela." I found that the words were extremely difficult to force out of my ever-constricted lungs.

"Hey! Bella! How are you?" Angela sounded overly cheerful, which really wasn't a surprise. Life had dealt her a happy and generous hand.

"Um, not well-" I chose to not go into further detail and instead cut straight to the point. "I need a place to stay for awhile. Do you by any chance have a couch I could crash on?"

"Of course!" She replied. "Anything! After all you have helped me on numerous occasions. In fact I do believe we have a cot you could stay on. Granted, we don't have a spare room, but I could sure set you up in the living room."

This was to be expected. After all, her and her boyfriend Ben lived a simple life in a one-bedroom apartment. "That sounds great Angela. And don't worry I'll chip some money in for food, I'd feel bad completely free-loading off of your generosity." I cringed as the words "free-loading" rolled off my tongue. It had only been a few moments since the words had been thrown at me by Charlie-his intentions on hurting my feelings.

"Don't fret too much. I look forward to seeing you again! When should we expect you?" I could picture Angela dashing up the stairs to get the cot while saying this.

Looking at Carlisle I mouthed the word "When?" And by some miracle he understood me.

"We will discharge you tomorrow most likely, as long as all of your vital signs remain stable." He replied, writing notes down on my chart. I didn't dare look at Edward, for fear that I would see that pained look in his eye at the thought of me sleeping on a cot."

Taking a labored breath I spoke hoping Angela didn't catch the fact that I was in the hospital. "How does tomorrow sound?"

"That's perfect! See you then Bella! Bye!" As soon as she hung up the cheeriness I had received just from listening to her voice disappeared. I looked over my shoulder to see Edward staring worriedly at me.

"Bella, you know we have a spare room at my house." He looked desperate to try to protect me in the only way possible, by keeping me with him.

Sighing I glanced at the phone as I set it back on the rolling table. "I'm sorry Edward, I just, I can't." I let out a shuddering breath without meaning to, hoping desperately that Edward didn't notice. "But, If you still want to…I mean…If you're not too busy…Well you can come visit and stuff." Trying to be reassuring, I forced a smile on my face that Edward apparently bought, because he smiled back.

"Alright, but the moment. And I mean the moment something goes wrong. Call me." He scribbled down his number. "And no excuses, I know for a fact Angela has a phone." He smirked and placed the paper with his cell phone number and house number on the tray so I wouldn't loose it.

I attempted to take a breath in to smile once more, when my body betrayed me and I squeaked in pain. Edward immediately winced and Carlisle filled a syringe with what I assumed was a painkiller.

As Carlisle injected the painkiller into my IV I closed my eyes as to try and mentally expel the pain. It didn't work, however, and I soon felt myself drifting back off into the world of sleep.

EPOV:

I couldn't help it, I was worried sick. I knew Charlie had done this to her, even though she said she didn't know, I could tell. That was one thing about her that mystified me. Why did she protect him? She should hate his guts.

Sighing, I smoothed her hair gently from her sweat-covered brow as she drifted off into the world of painkiller-induced sleep.

I loved her. And there was no way that I was going to lose her so soon after finding her. I couldn't stand the thought of loosing her. Not now.

Not ever.

AN: Hey everyone I'm back. And I think I have some great ideas on this story. Give me some feedback please : ) And I'm sorry for the wait. But I think the sludge called writers block has finally drained out of my head.

Sorry if this is horribly written. Over my hiatus I became fluent in Spanish and semi-fluent in French so my head is swimming with words in three different languages. And I decided to got beta-less on this chapter because I wanted to put it up right away.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Chapter 15

BPOV:

After that time seemed to fly. In the moments I was awake Edward would sit and talk with me. We talked about anything and everything-from what we wanted to do as a career when we were kids to what we plan on doing "someday." And if anything, this made me fall in love with Edward even more.

Sadly, I was not discharged the next day, because I was still in too much pain to move. But the day after, however, I was released with five prescriptions for different pain medications and the instructions as to when and how I was to take each one.

Edward, ever the protective one, had Alice buy me some new clothes and toiletries for fear of me having to return to Charlie's to get my essential items. Little did he know that I would return later anyways, for I could not bear the thought of giving up all of my mothers jewelry and small treasures that were locked in her old jewelry box and hidden underneath my bed. I planned on returning as soon as I was fit enough to climb the tree in front of my second story window-ensuring Charlie wouldn't see me. Hopefully, he would also be drunk and conked out on the couch-which was quite likely.

Also, I could not live without my Phantom of the Opera CD. I had sold my player for money years before, but the CD was one of the treasured personal possessions I wasn't able to bring myself to sell. Someday I hoped to be able to buy a player again. One could only hope when they were in a position such as I was currently in.

I kept this all locked inside however, not a word to anyone as to my plans.

Edward walked me to the door, for I was required to ride in a wheelchair. He also insisted on driving me to Angela's, which I did nothing to object to. Angela was doing enough as it was; the last thing she needed to do was cart me around. Thank God Roy had okayed me taking another week off work-so I wouldn't have to over-do anything immediately, though I knew I would have to return to work sooner rather than later. I needed the money.

Angela lived only ten minutes from the dog-walking place on foot but I had never driven from the hospital to her house. Somehow, Edward knew the way. I knew this was no coincidence; he had probably looked it up online and done a background check on Angela while he was at it.

In no time at all we pulled up in front of her house. I turned towards Edward. "Thanks Edward, this means a lot to me, for you and your family to do all this for me." Then I smiled and added, "I love you."

Smiling in return he leaned over and gave me a chaste kiss on my lips. "I love you too." Then, he proceeded to get out and grab the three suitcases sitting in the trunk. I began to protest saying I did not need near that much stuff. But he simply ignored me and continued walking up to the door. I began to struggle getting out of the car as Angela answered the door.

As my foot began to move to take a step, a very strong and muscular Edward suddenly swept me off my feet. "Where do you think you're going missy?" He said this playfully but also tightened his grip on me as I struggled slightly trying to return to being upright. Never one to be fazed, Edward insisted on carrying me all the way into Angela's living room and onto the cot she has set up and put bedding on for me.

That's when Angela turned to look at me, and to my shock her face twisted into a mask of disbelief. "Bella, oh, my, god! You didn't tell me you were hurt! My god! I would have given you my bed! Why didn't you tell me-"

I cut her off there. "Angela, I'm fine. I have some pain medication to take but the doctors said I should be fine within a week. Just a minor concussion and some bruises on my abdomen that hurt to the touch." I turned to glare at Edward when I said this, because his carrying me hadn't helped my pain at all. "It's not that bad Angela, seriously. I refuse to push you and Ben out to the couch."

"Alright if you're sure." Angela hesitated but she'd been my friend long enough to know there was no budging me once I made up my mind.

Shortly afterwards Edward left after giving me a kiss on the cheek and a gentle hug, careful not to put pressure on my bruises again. As soon as he was out the door Angela sat on the cot next to me. "Okay, spill. Why is mister hot hunk of handsome kissing you on the cheek?"

"Well," I sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. "We've been on a date, and I guess he's well, my 'boyfriend' I suppose."

"You suppose?" Angela raised her eyebrows.

"I don't think we ever really discussed it, at least as far as I remember. The night when I got in the accident we went out on a date and I can't quite remember if he made it official or not."

"Looked pretty official to me." Angela snickered. She'd been my best friend for so long, and her and Ben have been in love for so long, I really respected her opinion, no matter how crazy it sounded to my ears. "You guys are so perfect for each other." She sighed. Smiling, I remembered how he had adopted Shane, all for me.

Later, Angela went to blockbuster and rented a couple movies for "old times sake." I hadn't watched movies, or even TV in so long it was a pleasant way to relax. She rented "John Tucker Must Die" and "Taken." I enjoyed both of them immensely and Angela smirked as if she was planning something--which greatly worried me.

Ben retuned home around eleven PM and I watched in adoration as he gave Angela a sweet kiss on the lips. Unlike most horny college guys, he felt no need to immediately jump his girlfriend when he got home. Their love, I was sure, was the only true love I had ever witnessed, besides Carlisle and Esme's love, because I hadn't been around them enough to make a verdict yet.

I knew that my dad didn't really love my mom. If he had loved her he wouldn't hit me. He would cherish me, as the child of his true love. I didn't doubt that Angela loved me in a sisterly way. However, now that I thought about it, could I really trust Edward? Did he really love me? Or was he just so desperate to "get some" that I seemed like an easy, weak target?

I guess it came down to how much did I really know this guy?

The thought in and of itself worried me,

Because I was afraid that the answer would be that I didn't.

AN: Again I went beta-less….

Please review!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Chapter 16

BPOV:

The next week passed very quickly. Angela and Ben would go to college in the morning, then off to work in the afternoon. Angela came home around four pm every day and usually she'd cook dinner, then we'd hang out and talk just like we used to. Then Ben would get home around nine thirty and he would eat dinner and tell Angela and I all sorts of funny stories. Around ten Angela and Ben would head into their room and I was left just with my thoughts for company. Edward had called on the phone at least twice a day. A few times I just didn't answer, because I wasn't sure what to say to him. How do you tell a guy that you don't know if you trust him? Edward didn't seem to mind however; he just assumed I was sleeping a lot. He himself had returned to medical school, and even though it was nearby he was again back to being busy all day and taking walks in the park at night.

Three days before I was to return to work I began walking around the apartment. Most of my bruises had healed, and my concussion had healed. I no longer took any pain meds. I planned on going to the gym to get into shape the two days afterwards. Laying around for almost a weak had weakened my leg muscles, which worried me, because my entire job was walking dogs.

Roy called the next day, making sure I was coming back to work. He said they needed me because Mike had been doing a terrible job walking the dogs and a few of them who didn't get enough exercise were bouncing off the walls and driving him crazy. This made me smile, I adored my job, it was so low stress, and I loved animals. With only one day left before I had to go back to working full time I spent almost the whole day at the gym, just walking the treadmill during the hours I was going to work the next day. I'm not going to lie; it wasn't as easy as it used to be.

Finally, Monday morning came. I got up early and made Angela and Ben some eggs, a little repayment on my part, for all they'd done for me. Then as they were packing their lunches I started walking to work. Angela had offered to drive me but I didn't want to make her late for work. She'd also offered to pack me a lunch, which I declined. As of recently Roy always kept a bowl of fresh fruit in the staff room, which no one, save Roy and I, ate. I'd grab an apple out of there at lunchtime.

Today was no different than any other day, though in my week of absence we'd received some new dogs, which I did not personally know yet. Business seemed to be booming, people in Forks were just so lazy these days. Not that I was complaining, the more dogs I walked the more money I received on my pitiful paycheck. I could remember back to when I received twenty dollars a week, back when there were only about 3 dogs in the kennels at most. Now we never had any fewer than thirty.

I grabbed the leashes, giving Roy a wave. I was surprised by how often he'd been in as of late. The first dog was a Saint Charles Spaniel named Lacey. She was very cute and she weaved excited circles around my feet as I began to glance at the sheet on her door. She scored pretty well in agility so I planned on taking her with Belle, the over-energetic Border collie that was fairly new. I was about to pick out a third dog to my already full hands when a couple walked in shouting at each other. I looked up to see Jessica, my old friend from before high school and Tyler, the guy Lauren used to date. They were shouting so loud it was hard not to overhear, but from the gist of it, Jessica was mad that Tyler hadn't broken up with Lauren for her like he promised.

Shaking my head, I sighed; high school drama never seemed to end. I went to Auzzie's kennel, Roy had been right, his owners had brought him back—they always did. Unfortunately, I couldn't take him with two already energetic dogs so I planned to do him last, or close to last, like always. The next kennel held a dog I didn't recognize. I looked at the paper it was a German shepherd named Zoey. The poor dog looked very old and had a bandage on her back leg. I sighed, poor dog. The next cage held a little ball of energy, named Lizzy. Even in the kennel she couldn't sit still. Grabbing her leash after a quick glance at her paper, I tied her leash to Lacey's and held them in my right hand while holding Belle's leash in the other.

Within moments I was out in the sunshine, breathing deeply as I fell back into my old routine. Lizzy proved to be more difficult than the other two dogs combined. She was a Golden Retriever, German Shepherd mix and she loved to chase anything she spotted, from a squirrel, to a leaf, to a piece of grass. It was insane.

The one problem with this job is it gave me too much time to contemplate everything, from my life, to my future. My deepest fear was that I would still be fifty, still doing this job. I sighed as I returned and picked up Zoey, Lupe, and a black lab named Paddy. Their walk was much shorter, because Zoey and Paddy were so old and Lupe was a little dog that didn't need all that much exercise.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, yet, I couldn't help but sense that something was off. The air just didn't feel right when I breathed it into my lungs, almost as if the danger itself was lingering lethally the in the atmosphere.

Darkness fell and I walked on as usual, right past the park. I held Auzzie in one hand and Hudson, a feisty yellow lab in the other. As usual I checked the park bench as we passed, expecting to see Edward sitting there as normal. Only he wasn't.

Where was he? Had he gotten tired of me already? I sighed; I shouldn't expect his schedule to revolve around me. And either way, I had quite a few more dogs to walk and it was already late.

But I couldn't get the heavy feeling to leave my heart as I walked a black lab named Maggie and a beagle named Lily past the park again half an hour later, only to find it empty once more.

I told myself to get over it. I was nothing special, I knew that. I'd known it all along. I knew that Edward would get tired and back off. I knew it. Then why did it hurt so much?

A single tear escaped my eye and I wiped it away quickly so Roy wouldn't see me and think something was wrong.

This is life. Be realistic. But my reasoning didn't help. Because I truly did love Edward.

EPOV:

When I got home I very quickly got out my mound of makeup work. I had missed a ton sitting with Bella those four days while she was in the hospital. I was still swimming in all this work a week later.

Shane was hogging almost the entire couch so I was forced to move to my bed. I looked out into the night, thinking of Bella walking the dogs and sighed. I hated not being able to see her. But this was reality, and even though I loved her with all my heart, I couldn't spend every moment with her.

With that I turned back to my work.

AN: Sorry it was a bit of a filler. Again, sorry I went beta-less. Please Review.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter 17

BPOV:

The sun rose too early the next morning, casting it's vicious light over my makeshift cot as I forced myself to get up and pull on a pair of faded jeans and an in-style t-shirt that was much too tight across my chest. I desperately needed new clothes. Alice had given me ten outfits when she'd gone shopping while I was in the hospital, but for some reason, the clothes that she had gotten me just didn't seem to be me. They were also much too tight in most places compared to my normal clothes, I figured this must be the "thing" right now, but I had never been one to care about style.

Stepping out the front door, my bones felt old as I dragged my complaining body down the front steps and turned onto the sidewalk. Every single muscle seemed to stretch further than needed, sending pain shooting through my body with every step. I rolled my shoulders, trying to get all the tension out, but instead it only increased my body's fatigue.

The walk to work seemed to last for forever, but I finally made it.

"Hello there Bella!" Roy said in his hilarious Australian accent. I don't know why he chose to move to Forks, but he seemed to really enjoy it—a smile was almost always painted generously on his bright face. "Everything is going well with your recovery I hope?"

"Yes, I feel as good as new in fact, I'm just trying to get my muscles used to walking again." I tried laughing, but it came out sounding as fake as could be. "And how's your life Roy?"

"Ah well, still halfway in the endless bachelor pool but I think I found myself a pretty lady that just might be looking for a man." His smile widened, if that was even possible.

"And who might this lucky young lady be?" I questioned.

"Her name is Taznia. She just moved to Forks from Slovenia a month ago. She's teaching down at that quaint middle school. We met the night before yesterday when we were both getting petrol." He pulled out a pen and paper and began writing. "She and I both were just standing there, then like fate, we both of us just suddenly reached for the window washer. And we really hit it off after that."

His mix of Australian slang and attempt at American English terms made me crack a small, but true smile. "Well I hope you asked her out on a date?"

"Sure did. I wasn't letting a lady like that off so easily." A customer walked in at that moment, ending the conversation. Which was fine with me, because I really had nothing else to say.

I was happy that Roy was happy, but at the same time, Edward hadn't called last night. In fact he hadn't called since the day before yesterday. As much as I hated to admit it, it was really starting to scare me. Was I wrong to fall in love with him?

Ignoring this thought I grabbed a couple leashes, grabbing Zoey, the elderly German shepherd, and Lupe, the cute toy poodle Japanese chin dog mix. Getting down at their level while putting their leashes on I talked to them, knowing that it made the dogs happy to feel important. Zoey was wagging her tail exuberantly for a dog her age. And for the second time that day I found myself smiling as Lupe, being the tiny seven-pound dog she was, struggled to pick up Zoey's large water dish (That was almost her size I might add) and carry it with her. A laugh escaped my lips as I took the water dish and put it back in Zoey's kennel only to find it in Lupe's mouth again, not five seconds later. Battling the weight of the water dish she began to drag it on the floor. I was leaning down to pick it up once more when Roy called me. "Bella! Phone!"

Dragging the two dogs with me I practically ran to the phone, desperately hoping it was Edward.

Disappointment immediately stole into my heart when I heard Angela's voice asking if she wanted her to bring me a lunch—seeing as I had left extra early that morning. "No thanks Angela." I replied. "I grabbed myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich this morning so I think I'm set, but thanks for the offer."

"Alright Bella, see you later!" Angela didn't seem to notice my obvious lie as she hung up. I knew for a fact that they didn't have so much as a drop of peanut butter in their house. Angela must have thought that I picked up some at the store, which I would let her continue to think.

Without any other interruptions I walked outside to the most beautiful morning I had seen in a long time. And it wasn't sunny. It was cloudy and overcast, a light rain falling. I loved these mornings because very few people were out, and the rain gave me a sense of peace and soothing. And the rain—it was just so pretty. I'd always been fascinated with it, even as a child.

I couldn't count how many times I'd come inside soaking wet, only to be greeted by my mom and a towel that had been warmed up in the dryer. My mother would smile and say "My my Bella, you'll catch a cold, but I must say your hair looks the most gorgeous when it's wet." I had never truly believed this, but as I had grown up my hair turned into an unruly mop and I figured it didn't matter if it got wet or not.

The sidewalks were empty, and no dogs barked. The eerie silence was comforting, and with the rain the dogs didn't want to walk as far which made my job for the day much much easier. In fact, I was well done by ten pm and on my way home as I passed the park.

My heart fell to my stomach when I saw the empty bench again. I didn't know why this bothered me so much. Geez, Edward had a life. And with a sigh I came to the revelation that, possibly, he didn't want me in it.

Approaching Angela's door I thought briefly about my mother's belongings and my few worthless articles of clothing back at my house. I knew if I didn't return in the near future Charlie would run off again—looking for someone else to freeload off of. I filled a glass with water at the kitchen sink, then staring out the window I came to the resolution that I would stay here two more days, then whether anyone liked it or not I was going back home.

EPOV:

"What do you want Shane?" The dog paced and paced. In front of the door, the window, the couch, around the bed. He even went as far to walk up and down the stairs repeatedly a few times. I glanced out the window; it had been raining all day. I'd let Shane out to do his business, but that apparently wasn't what he wanted, because all day he'd continued to pace.

My homework was spread out over my bed. I was almost done and it was only eight. I thought about going to see Bella, but then I realized that she probably wouldn't be out in the rain.

My eyelids seemed to have their own mind when they began to droop over the book I was reading at nine thirty. Shane, finally curled up on the couch, but his eyes still seemed to pace across the room. Sighing, I snapped my bedside lamp off, the thought of the phone sitting on the nightstand completely escaping my head. I didn't feel like getting up and searching through the piles of papers and books all over my room for the charger, and with one final coherent thought I promised myself I'd find it later.

And then I drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep.

AN: Expect updates on the weekends. My school week is pretty full with tons of homework but I will try to post about three updates all together (between all of my stories) a week. Maybe four some weeks. Anyways, please review.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter 18

BPOV:

Things settled back into routine over the next few days, well as routine as they could be without Edward.

Rain had once again taken over the skies, leaving no promise of sunshine. The sidewalks made sure that the worn shoes on my feet always remained wet, even when the clouds took a break from pouring what I thought of as God's tears down on earth. Walking the dogs became normal again and I began to loose the couple pounds I had gained while remaining in bed.

A few days prior I had moved back into my home. My father had left, leaving only broken glasses and plates in his wake. Almost immediately I found myself demanding that Angela drive my stuff over. Once I had taken it upon myself to clean the glass up the place looked exactly as I had left it that morning before my dad had come—bringing my tired brain to the realization that Charlie, in fact, had barely been there at all—obviously running off to find a new drug gang as soon as he left my room in the hospital that day.

I wish I could say this surprised me, but the sad thing was, it just didn't. And I'm pretty sure he would eventually kill himself by overdosing, and even though he was my father, I honestly found myself unable to shed any tears over the prospect and statistics of it happening.

Nothing had changed in my house, yet things seemed to have changed everywhere else. Edward was never at the park anymore, never, not even during the day or in the breaks between the constant down pour of rain. He didn't even call my work. I didn't know for sure if he had tried to call Angela or not, but I assumed if he had he would have come see me or at least called my work; leading me to believe that he hadn't called her at all. Roy, also, had changed. He rarely hung around at work anymore, which I didn't mind. He was nice and I missed him and all, but at the same time I was extremely happy that he had found a girl and was getting out more.

For some reason I couldn't even begin to fathom, it seemed like as the days passed I felt less and less like smiling, and after a week I didn't feel like smiling at all. At first I though this was because of the constant rain bringing down my mood, but one day it hit me that I had always loved the rain so I should be smiling about it.

Somewhere deep down I knew this lack of happiness was due to the lack of Edward Cullen, but I didn't, in any way, shape, or form, admit it to myself. Because who knew if he was coming back? And I refused to dwell on that thought.

EPOV:

Midterms had begun eating away at my life. I'd been so involved with other things it wasn't until I realized they were merely a week away that I remembered I hadn't even begun to study.

Sometimes I wondered what happened to me, I used to be such an overachieving bookworm, always ahead in my studies and never getting less than A's on my glowing report card. But for some reason, lately, I had slipped a bit and in med school you can't afford to slip. It's like driving on ice in a snowstorm, once you slip over the edge on an icy mountain road, you're a goner.

Shane had become my constant companion, always sitting at the door when I got home and following me around the house. The children all loved him, and according to Esme he was always very gentle with them.

My life fell into such a vigorous routine I didn't even have time to text my friends or call Bella. Every day I promised myself that I would do it right away the next, but it never happened. Even on weekends I found myself too busy to even make a simple phone call. One weekend it was my mother's birthday, my father's big promotion dinner with his boss, and Emmett and Rosalie's anniversary and I was required to watch their kid for the night. The next weekend Rosalie went into labor with her second child, my other nephew fell out of a tree and broke his wrist, and Kiara and her husband announced their plans to move out—requiring me to help packing.

And just like that, two entire weeks had passed by without my notice. It wasn't until that next Monday that I woke up and looked at the calendar only to realize that time had completely left me behind, without even a look back or waiting for me to catch up. With resolve, I left for school, knowing I had to call Bella that night. Hopefully Bella didn't think I'd forgotten her. I had heard before that separation only deepens love, yet even though I knew I loved Bella I couldn't help but feel a bit distanced from her. Everything in our relationship had happened so fast—from confessing our immediate love of one another to me having an odd feeling and turning the car around to find her near dead on the sidewalk.

My heart and my head wouldn't agree. My head was saying I should love her even more than before, but my stressed heart was arguing that I was simply too busy for love and had never been in a serious relationship before so I didn't know what love was. I wasn't sure if it was the two stressful weeks I had just had or if it was really my heart speaking. I loved Bella, didn't I?

My thoughts muddled around in my head for the remainder of the day, and for whatever reason, when I got home, I didn't pick up the phone to call Bella. Nor did I put my jacket on and go to the park. For some reason I still felt conflicted. It even hindered my sleep that night, because every time I closed my eyes I saw Bella behind my eye lids and my heart swelled with love, but as soon as I opened my eyes reality came back and I truly doubted everything. This pattern went on all night, opened, closed, opened, closed—my body simply could not sleep.

In the middle of the night I turned on the radio to an oldie station only to hear the song "Teenager in Love" and the last line of the song-hit home. "Why must I be a teenager in love?" And at that moment I knew that I had to see Bella the next day, no matter what.

AN: Confliction during love is normal, I've been in Edward's place a million times so please don't flame me…. So I've been thinking of putting together a collection of short stories/one shots by a bunch of different authors, would any of you be interested in participating? Let me know.

Thanks for reading! Please Review!


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